Kaylee Aldrich

PSY211-WN101
4/3/2015
Ms. Donegan
Influences on Behavior
When a child runs into his/her parents is that aggression? How about when two basketball
players push each other? Social psychologists so far cannot define aggression (Hock, 2013, 85).
However, in 1961 at Stanford University, Albert Bandura and Dorothea Ross and Sheila Ross
tried to answer the following question: Why do people engage in acts of aggression? (Hock,
2013, 85). Instead of focusing on the previously studied concepts like aggression being
evolutionarily advantageous or aggression spurring from situational frustration, this experiment
suggested that aggression is a learned trait. To prove this theory, the researchers conducted
experimental research with a control group, experimental group, independent variable, and
dependent variable.
The researchers asked if a child would imitate adult behaviors when the child was
separated from the model after observing the models behavior (Hock, 2013, 86). To start,
Bandera believed that behavior [could] be shaped in important ways through modeling (Hock,
2013, 86). Specifically, Bandura and his associates predicted that children who observed
aggressive behavior would also act aggressively and those who observe non-aggressive models
would be less aggressive than the group that viewed aggression and even less aggressive than the
control group. Additionally, they thought that the children were more likely to imitate the
behavior of adults of the same sex and that boys would act more aggressively than girls (Hock,
2013, 86).

The researchers gathered 36 boys and 36 girls in the age bracket of three to just under six
years of age. The following procedure, now known as the Bobo doll study, explains the
researchers method (Hock, 2013, 86). To account for difference in aggression, Bandera had a
teacher and experimenter rate each child's aggression so that the average rate for each group was
about same. The control group consisted of 24 children who were not exposed to a model.
Experimental group one consisted of six boys who were exposed to an aggressive male model.
Group two was six girls who were exposed to an aggressive male model. Group three was six
girls who each were exposed to an aggressive female. Group four was six boys who each were
exposed to an aggressive female. Group five consisted of six boys exposed to a non-aggressive
male model. Group six was six girl children who were exposed to a non-aggressive male. Group
seven consisted of six females who were exposed to a non-aggressive female. Group eight
consisted of six boys who were exposed to a non-aggressive female (Hock, 2013, 87). The
independent variable for this experiment was what the children were exposed to whether it be an
aggressive model, non-aggressive model, or no model. The dependent variable for this
experiment was the rating of the child's aggression after they went through the procedure (Hock,
2013, 87).
For this experiment a child and the model were brought into a room. The child sat at a
table with stickers and a stamp. The adult was taken to another corner in which there was a
mallet, Bobo doll, and a Tinker toy set (Hock, 2013, 87). The experimenter indicated that those
were the adult toys and left the room. All of the adults started assembling the tinker toys, but the
aggressive adults attacked the Bobo doll after just one minute into the procedure. The series of
aggression acts were the same for all aggressive models. The non-aggressive models ignored the
Bobo doll and mallet and just played with the tinker toys for the entire ten minutes (Hock, 2013,

87). Then the experimenter reentered, said goodbye to the model, and took a child into another
room (Hock, 2013, 88). In the other room there were attractive toys that the child was allowed to
play with, but after a short period of time each child was told that the toys are for other kids and
then taken to a third room. The third room contained aggressive toys, like a mallet Bobo doll,
tetherball, and dart guns, and non-aggressive toys, like cars, trucks, dolls, and plastic farm
animals. Children were allowed to play for twenty minutes, during which they were judged on
their aggression in four categories: physical, verbal, mallet, and other aggression (Hock, 2013,
88-89).
The results from this experiment indicate that boys tended to score much higher on the
aggression scale than girls. Girls had a combined total of 128 instances of aggression, whereas
the boys had a total of 270 violet acts (Hock, 2013, 90). The children who saw aggression acted
aggressively. Specifically, boys had an average of 38.2 instances of physical aggression and girls
had an average of 12.7 instances of aggression after observing the aggressive model (Hock,
2013, 89). In addition, those same children demonstrated more instances of mallet aggression
than the children who did not observe an aggressive model. On the other hand, those who viewed
non-aggression or were in the control group did not act aggressively. For example, children who
observed the non-aggressive male or female, had less than 2 instances, on average, of aggression
in 10 of the 16 categories (Hock, 2013, 89). Children who observed a model of the same-sex
generally acted more like that person than those who observed a model of the opposite sex, but
the correlation is not a significantly strong correlation for every situation. For example, girls
were more likely to imitate verbal aggression, while boys imitated more physical aggression
(Hock, 2013, 90). However, the children exposed to non-aggressive models did not act less
aggressive than the control group. Non-aggressive role models do not inhibit aggression

behavior, like Bandura originally thought. The results show that three of the four original
hypothesizes were supported (Hock, 2013, 89).
This study suggested the aggression is learned (Hock, 2013, 85). The researchers proved
that behavior, more specifically violent behavior, can be learned through a process of observation
and imitation. They concluded that when children watch any adult the adults behavior sends a
message to the child indicating that the given form of behavior is acceptable. Therefore, the child
will imitate this behavior later. A potential negative consequence to this form of learning is an
increase in the probability that a child will respond to frustrating problems with forms of
aggressive behavior as opposed to working through the problem calmly (Hock, 2013, 90).
In relation to the stronger influence of male aggressive models on boys as opposed to
female aggressive models, the researchers suggested that the source of this result is society. They
propose that because society thinks aggression is a masculine type behavior the male model was
more influential on the boys actions than the aggressive female (Hock, 2013, 90).
In connection to the real world, young children mock or imitate what adults or "the big
kids do. For example, at a church service a little girl in fourth or fifth grade sat next to a fifteen
year-old boy. The boy was attentive and focused on the speaker and the little girl followed his
lead. She would glance over to see what he was doing. When he knelt, she knelt. When he stood,
she stood. The little girl looked up to the older boy and followed his actions exactly. This is an
example os observational learning, or, according to the textbook, the learning of a new behavior
through watching the actions of a model (Ciccarelli, White, 2012, 243). The research findings
are important because they verify the actions of the little girl. The researchers suggested
aggressive behavior could be learned, but based on this other example good behavior can also be
learned. The researchers proved that children act in the same way that they see adults act. It is

important as older individuals in society to act in a proper manner and be respectful when around
young children so that they do not pick up bad habits or treat others disrespectfully. Based on
these results we can better understand that children learn some of their behavior from their
parents. Regardless of what psychologists accept as true, nurture plays a role in how a childs
personality develops. We are not genetically 100% aggressive, but watching adults violently hit
an object or punch objects can increase a childs violent behavior.
The book Psychology describes four elements that Bandura concluded from his studies.
The first is attention. The child needed to pay attention and observe the model for observational
learning to exist. Bandura further concluded that people devote more attention to those similar to
him (Ciccarelli, White, 2012, 244). Just like how the children acted more aggressive when they
observed models of the same sex.
The second element is memory. The children Bandura used in his experiment had to be
able to remember what they saw in order to imitate the actions (Ciccarelli, White, 2012, 243).
Imitation is the third element of observational learning. For this element, Bandura had to have
children capable of imitating the actions. The book suggests that a two year old might be able to
remember how something was done, but might not have the motor skills to mimic it (Ciccarelli,
White, 2012, 245). The final element is motivation. The learner must have the desire to perform
the given action. This desire can be initiated from receiving rewards in the past, a promised
reward, or simply observing another person receive a reward. If a child expects a reward or has
seen someone else get a reward after the action, the child is more likely to copy the action then if
the person was punished or failed at the given task (Ciccarelli, White, 2012, 245).
Banduras Social Learning Theory states that human interaction is a primary factor in
developing a persons personality. This theory is supported by the results from Banduras Bobo

doll experiment; the behavior that the children observed, influenced their own personal actions
(Hock, 2013, 86).
In the future, I can use the information from the study to be a better role model and
understand that children imitate adult or my own actions. For those who decide to have their own
children, they can pick who they want their children to be around and those people will influence
how that children's personality develops. It is important to be a good role model when around
children and not promote acts of aggression that could lead to the child getting in trouble or
doing things that could potentially put him/her in jail at a later age or at a young age get them
suspended or expelled from school. Younger children look up to adults as the role models and as
role models it is important to be influential in a positive way.

Works Cited

Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, J. N. (2012). Psychology. Boston, MA: Pearson

Prentice Hall.
Hock, R. R. (2013). Forty studies that changed psychology: Explorations into the
history of psychological research. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.